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Securex back with a bang

Securex 2022 actually happened! After two years the annual security show, held with Firexpo, A-OSH and Facilities Management, returned with many people wondering what the result would be. Fortunately, the results are positive, with everyone Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to happy with the event, the visitors on site and the general impressions of the show, now in its 29th year.

The visitors seemed to come in waves throughout the three days of the show, keeping everyone on their toes. In addition, the people visiting were security professionals with few ‘sightseers’ and brochure collectors. Dr Craig Donald was on the Hi-Tech Security Solutions stand for a few hours on days two and three, which was a bonus for us. Our events manager has offered him a job during next year’s show. (We would also like to thank Suprema for the regular supplies of coffee.)

The organisers’ decision to hold four shows at the same time is a good move as while the health and safety, facilities management, fire safety and security sectors are individual markets, they are increasingly overlapping with each other as, for example, surveillance and access control systems support health and safety as well as facilities management operations (and, of course, fire safety). Readers of the CCTV Handbook, published last month, will have noticed a repeated theme of wanting integrated or converged value from solutions, which includes these four markets and others.

During our travels throughout the show, Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to many people from different companies. This review will highlight a few of the interesting companies we spoke to. It is by no means a complete review of every company that was represented at the event, only a few random highlights.

OSPA Awards

Although the winners of South Africa’s first Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) have already been announced, the winners were able to receive their awards in person in a short ceremony at Securex 2022.

As a reminder, the winners are:

• Outstanding Security Consultant: Marlene Welman – Joint Operations Intelligence Centre.

• Outstanding Security Installer/Integrator: Secutel Technologies.

• Outstanding New Security Product: Digital Investigations Suite (DIS) – Dragonfruit AI.

• Outstanding Security Equipment Manufacturer: Cathexis Technologies.

Entries for the 2022 awards are now open at https://za.theospas.com/enter/

Storage solutions

Both Western Digital (WD) and Toshiba were at the event, and both were talking about their storage solutions designed specifically for the surveillance industry. Hard drives (HDD) designed for video are different from the normal drives we use for business purposes; they have been designed for very high writing rates, or even continuous writes and intermittent reading. If you took an average desktop or server HDD that reads and writes smaller files frequently, their lifespan would be reduced when used for surveillance because of this continual writing to disk.

WD offers its Purple surveillance drives which can currently store up to 18 TB of video data, and it has also developed resilient SD cards designed for the industry. As an example, the Purple SD cards can contain up to 1 TB of data and have been hardened to withstand being deployed in outdoor cameras and subjected to unpleasant conditions including rain and other forms of moisture. WD’s Endurance cards are designed for dashcams and even drones, also including hardened components.

Toshiba already claims about 24% of the surveillance storage market worldwide, apart from other drives is manufactures designed for edge storage or desktop/server use. Its surveillance drives currently support a maximum of 14 TB of data, but we can expect to see these numbers increasing (for both storage companies) in future.

Perimeter and more

Optex had a stand on the show where is demonstrated its various products, from its Redscan Lidar systems which includes a camera that can cover areas from 20 x 20 m up to 50 x 100 m, depending on the model chosen. It also displayed a range of sensors, PIRs and the like which satisfy different environments. The primary display was its intelligent visual verification for monitored alarm systems, driven by the Optex Bridge.

Optex Bridge allows alarm notifications from sensors to be integrated with surveillance cameras (ONVIF-compliant cameras) to create an integrated solution. When an alarm is raised, control rooms will receive notification of the alarm and can also verify the alarm via the video images that are delivered with the alarm.

Stafix had a large stand at Securex, displaying a range of its own electric fencing product and component ranges through to other solutions it integrates (such as Dahua cameras) to create a complete security solution for customers’ perimeters.

Olarm was also at the show demonstrating its system which is able to link and manage security systems from alarms and gate motors (including Nemtek gate systems). The system can be integrated with current security operations and can also be controlled from a control room or an individual’s mobile device with the company’s recently released app.

A bit of access control

Suprema once again hosted a large stand with a range of products on display (and a coffee bar worth mentioning more than once). The star of the show this year was the new BioStation 3. The new product, to be broadly released soon, provides higher accuracy and faster facial recognition speed, and a lower false acceptance rate (FAR) even with faces covered with masks. Users can also use a range of other credentials for identification or as a second verification mechanism, including mobile access cards, QR codes and barcodes. Those using mobile credentials verified via BLE can even set the distance for BLE credential recognition.

Advanced ID was also there, demonstrating a range of access readers and solutions, including mobile access, with a representative from STid Security at the stand. During a presentation in the seminar theatre, Robert Jansson from STid provided great insights into the various access cards available today and their relative strengths and weaknesses in terms of security and vulnerabilities to cloning etc. The primary message in his presentation, however, was how companies migrating to new access credentials could do so in a planned and phased manner, which will allow them to make use of their existing systems and transition over time to newer, more secure credentials – including mobile access. Jansson’s message is that a seamless transition is possible without ripping-and-replacing if the technology is understood and the project is planned properly.

ZKTeco was there with its rocket taking off into the future. The company is expanding its product range in all aspects of access control as well as surveillance, but the company has also changed the way it works with its installers and SIs, assisting them not only with product knowledge and technical expertise (and training) but furthermore with marketing and getting them ‘out there’.

Alcohol screening

Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to Rhys Evans, managing director at ALCO-Safe, a company specialising in breathalyser testing in workplaces where health and safety requires people who have had a pint or two be excluded from certain work areas (or anywhere companies don’t want inebriated employees). The latest product from Alco-Safe has been designed with more intelligence so that it can be integrated via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with access control systems, identifying those who test positive and not allowing them access to work areas. Broad availability will depend on supply chain issues being sorted out as components are required to manufacture the systems locally.

The system can also provide real-time information to a management console to ensure people are not paid for days they were not allowed in. The integration and automation of the system will prevent intimidation and collusion among security staff, who can be ‘persuaded’ to let people in even if they are positive.

This real-time overview now extends to ERS Biometrics’ solutions as well. A joint venture between the companies has integrated alcohol testing with ERS’s biometric readers, again automating the granting or denying of access. Evans notes that both companies have a good installed base, thereby broadening the number of customers each can approach with a solution that is already integrated and ready to go.

A bit of IoT

With information and communications technology being a critical component of security, and vice versa, there were a few companies demonstrating their offerings in this space, primarily focusing on IoT. For example, Gurtam was focused on its fleet management services which includes a range of IoT sensors as well as in-vehicle cameras (apart from the usual GPS tracking). Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to the head of the company’s Wialon product, which is the platform that manages fleets around the world (look out the for the article).

In addition, Fourier It was at the show with its locally developed IoT platform that can be set up to connect to almost any sensor or device using almost any protocol. All the information gathered comes back to the company’s management platform where it can be analysed and information relevant to any industry can be provided in easy-to-use formats. The company includes access control and time & attendance modules, and the platform can be cloud-based or installed onsite, as per user requirements.

Worth being there

There was naturally much more at Securex 2022, but in summing up, the general opinion is that it was worth being able to meet people in a real setting once again instead of in a video conference. The number of visitors showed that events like Securex have been missed and once the COVID blues are completely out of people’s minds, the attendance and positivity around Securex 2022 bodes well for the future of the event. Both visitors and exhibitors felt that being ‘out and about’ only served to reinforce the belief that real face-to-face interactions are far more positive and productive than video conferencing – although your Zoom and other platforms certainly have a place and won’t be going anywhere.

Hi-Tech Security Solutions thanks all the visitors to our stand and we look forward to Securex 2023.

Suprema at Securex

Suprema, gold sponsor of Securex SA 2022, showcased its full range of access control, time & attendance and biometrics solutions at this year’s exhibition, including a sneak preview of the company’s latest Face Recognition terminal that will be launched later this year.

According to Mpho Radiokana of neaMetrics and Sales Manager for Suprema product distribution in Africa, “Securex SA was busier than anticipated. After COVID we weren’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great success and we are glad that we attended because it provided an excellent opportunity to connect with both old and new customers.”

Suprema offers fingerprint, facial, QR code and RFID solutions and at this event the focus was definitely on contactless. Many of the current devices support mobile access through BLE and NFC, which takes away the need for plastic cards by allowing users to gain access with their mobile phones. Suprema’s Advanced Face Recognition range offers you the best contactless solution with exceptional authentication accuracy and anti-spoofing performance.

Suprema’s FaceStation F2 is a face recognition terminal for speed gate entry, made possible with walkthrough face recognition where users no longer have to stand still and fit their face into to a predefined area. With a recognition distance range from 50 cm to 130 cm, FaceStation F2 ensures smooth entry.

The speed gate located on our stand was provided by Flow Systems, which coupled with Suprema’s FaceStation F2, offers a secure contactless solution, with mask detection and temperature monitoring if required.

BioRugged offer a selection of handhelds, tablets and civil registration kits that have Suprema fingerprint biometric scanners integrated into their hardware for exceptional performance in harsh environments.

The neaMetrics software development team developed live capture software for Securex to demonstrate the utilisation of BioRugged hardware for identity software development. The company offers system developers using Suprema and BioRugged hardware SDKs and APIs for development engineering support to fast-track their developments while following international best practices in identity software development.

For more information contact:

• neaMetrics, 0861 632 638, info@neametrics.com, www.neametrics.com

• Suprema, +27 11 784 3952, enquiry@suprema.co.za, www.suprema.co.za

Securex 2022 a great success for Turnstar

While caution still prevails in the industry, Turnstar believes that the Securex 2022 expo was a great success for the company. “We are a regular exhibitor at Securex, and we were rewarded by our confidence in exhibiting at the show this year. We received an extremely positive response from visitors to our product line-up and feel that the investment was definitely worthwhile,” says Turnstar CEO Craig Sacks.

Sacks says that while several companies that had exhibited at previous Securex expos were conspicuous by their absence, there was an encouraging number of new exhibitors. “At the end of the day, if you aren’t on the show, you cannot hope to derive the invaluable interactions you achieve at an expo like Securex. We were able to not only network with current customers, but furthermore reach a larger proportion of our target market than we would through traditional sales calls.”

Sacks says that the company’s Titan full height single turnstile and velocity raptor spike barrier proved especially popular with the visitors. “We amassed a number of solid leads to follow up on.”

For further information contact Turnstar, +27 11 786 1633, craig@turnstar.co.za, www.turnstar.co.za

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